Tutu: Authorized

About the Book

Commemorating Desmond Tutu's eightieth birthday, this stirring biography commemorates the life, philosophy, faith, and achievements of one of the greatest moral heroes of our time. Written by Allister Sparks, Tutu: Authorized featuring contributions from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, President Barack Obama, and Nelson Mandela, as well as interviews given by Reverend Mpho Tutu, Desmond Tutu’s daughter, to world leaders and public figures including Hillary Clinton, Kofi Annan, Jimmy Carter, Bono, Richard Branson, and F.W. de Klerk. A stirring exploration and graphically rich presentation of one of the world’s most inspirational and altruistic figures, Tutu: Authorized overflows with illuminating revelations about Tutu’s life and resonates with insights into how we can each work to improve peace, fairness, and happiness in the world around us.

Book Description

Tutu: Authorized is a celebration of the life of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, an icon whose humanity and compassion has touched millions of lives around the world. Born in Klerksdorp, South Africa, Desmond Tutu was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1960. He vigorously opposed apartheid and has dedicated his life to fighting all forms of oppression, advocating nonviolence, peaceful reconciliation, and social justice for all.

This extraordinary book features an authorized biography by legendary South African journalist Allister Sparks and includes never-before-seen interviews by Archbishop Tutu’s daughter, Reverend Mpho A. Tutu, with historical figures who witnessed Tutu’s life and worked alongside him, such as Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton, the Dalai Lama, Kofi Annan, Bono, and Sir Richard Branson, as well as intimate and poignant interviews with his wife, family, and closest friends. Complemented by an unprecedented collection of images and unpublished artifacts drawn from Tutu’s private files, this is a phenomenal story of one man’s extraordinary life and work and will be treasured by all who read it for years to come.

Educator and Librarian Resources

Critical Praise

“The history of the long fight to end apartheid in South Africa had many heroes but none quite like a 5-foot-4 Anglican archbishop with an impish sense of humor who became a giant irritant to the white authorities. . . . Tutu was the moral voice of South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement. He held no official position with any party and still doesn’t. With flowing religious robes as his only shield, he bluntly challenged successive white governments to end apartheid, skillfully led the nation’s post-apartheid efforts at reconciliation and later stood up to black leaders when they edged away from the democratic principles they purported to espouse. . . . Those and other moments in the life of the anti-apartheid crusader and 1984 Nobel Peace Prize recipient get heroic treatment in Tutu: Authorized, an unapologetic fan book . . . a high-gloss keepsake filled with historical photographs, pages of Tutu’s quotable quotes and dozens of vignette-style remembrances from the global luminaries.” —

“Archbishop Tutu has the ability to see our shared humanity in each person he meets, and to get us to do the same.” —

“One thing I have learned from him . . . is that he has that constant and persistent faith that things can be better and we can do something about it. We should not find excuses not to act or not to speak out.” —

“Emotionally and mentally Bishop Tutu and I are very close. I call him my spiritual older brother. . . . He is a freedom fighter, but the fight is carried on with compassion, forgiveness, and a commitment to nonviolence. He is a wonderful person.” —

“He has become a symbol of kindness and hope far beyond the borders of his native land.” —

“He was not just an anti-apartheid worker. . . . He was somebody who had thought very deeply about spiritual values and had applied them to what he was doing. In some ways that reminded me of Gandhi.” —

“Moments in the life of the anti-apartheid crusader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient get heroic treatment in Tutu: Authorized, . . . a high-gloss keepsake filled with historical photographs, pages of Tutu’s quotable quotes and dozens of vignette-style remembrances from the global luminaries” —

“A wonderful scrapbook of the incredible life and ministry of the Anglican Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Desmond Tutu, prepared in celebration of his 80th Birthday.” —

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